


An Underland Party

by KeiylaD



Category: The Underland Chronicles - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Mild Language, gregor and luxa romance but not the main focus, lizzie and ripred friendship, original flier characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:49:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4421987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeiylaD/pseuds/KeiylaD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been five months since Gregor's family returned to the Overland "for good," but to some extent everyone wants to return. When Lizzie's birthday comes around, she convinces her parents to let her hold her party in the Underland. Unfortunately, safety still isn't guaranteed in Regalia. </p><p>This story switches between the third-person POV of Gregor and Lizzie, with slightly different stories following each. Focused more on the friendship between Lizzie/Ripred than Gregor/Luxa, but there's a fair amount of both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lizzie

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write a story about Lizzie and Ripred's relationship, because it was one of my favorite things in the books and it just wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking. This story will focus on Lizzie and Ripred, and Gregor and Luxa when the POV switches.

“Boots, you’re supposed to eat this casserole,” Lizzie teased. Her mom was headed home and her dad would be back soon from visiting their grandma at the hospital, and while Gregor took a nap Lizzie was on dinner duty. She’d decided long ago that getting Boots started on her meal early would only help the family at dinnertime, so while she retrieved leftovers from the refrigerator Boots was busy stuffing noodle casserole in her face, not bothering to use the utensils Lizzie had so carefully placed next to her.

Boots giggled and stuck her hand back into the pile of squishy food on her plate. Lizzie sighed and wiped her sister’s mouth with a paper towel. There was nothing else she could do for dinner except heat up the leftovers, and her mom didn’t like her to use the microwave because the settings acted strangely sometimes. She left Boots at the table and went to Gregor’s doorway, looking sadly at her sleeping brother.

The night before, Gregor had had a horrible nightmare. They came less often now, but when they were bad she could hear him whimpering in his sleep. She never asked what they were about, but she could guess. It had been nearly five months since Gregor, Lizzie, Boots, and their parents returned from the Underland. The goodbyes had been sad, as they’d all made friends in the Underland. She knew Gregor dreamt about how he had fought in the war; how he had killed the Bane, a great white rat set on the destruction of humans in the Underland, and how his bond Ares had died helping him do so. She knew he missed Ares, and Twitchtip, a rat he’d grown very fond of, and most of all, he missed Luxa, the queen of the Underland. When the nightmares came, he wasn’t afraid of the Underland; he was sad that he couldn’t go back.

Lizzie had her share of people she missed down there. Hazard, a Halflander child, had been a good friend to her while she was there. She missed Luxa too, and Luxa’s bat Aurora. But most of all, she missed Ripred. Ripred, the huge rat with scars on his face and in his heart. Before she even met him she had sent him food and good wishes through Gregor, and when she finally met him it was nearly impossible to leave.

“Lizzie…” said Gregor softly, and Lizzie remembered what she had come into his room for.

“The food is out, Gregor, but you have to heat it up.”

He nodded with a yawn, and Lizzie stepped away from his doorway. Just then, the door to their apartment opened and their dad walked in.

“Hey daddy.” Lizzie walked to him and threw her arms around him. He returned the embrace easily, with more strength than he normally had. His sickness was getting better all the time. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their grandma. The family had been planning to move to Virginia, but with their grandmother’s failing health they had to stay in New York. “How’s grandma?”

“She’s all right,” her dad assured her. “She was doing very well today. She even told me to tell you ‘happy birthday.’” He smiled and patted her on the head. “You haven’t forgotten your own birthday, have you? Tomorrow you’ll be…. what? Thirty? Thirty-five?”

Lizzie couldn’t help smiling. “Nine, dad. I’ll be nine.”

“Oh,” he said with another grin. “I knew that.”

Gregor called from the kitchen for help with the microwave, and Lizzie followed. To her dismay, Boots had managed to drop food everywhere within a six-foot radius of her high chair, and smeared it over every inch of her face. Their dad had to step over piles of casserole to get to where Gregor was. Lizzie immediately felt the need to apologize; she had gone away from Boots for too long. Their dad was on top of it, though.

“Boots,” he said sternly. “What is this?” He gestured around at the floor and pointed to her noodle-covered cheeks.

“I eat!” Boots said proudly. She threw her hands in the air. “I eat like big rats!”

Lizzie felt a pain in her chest. Boots meant Ripred; Ripred always ate with his face in his food. It was funny to watch, but apparently he’d rubbed off on Boots a bit too much. Their dad was trying not to laugh.

“You are not a big rat,” he told her. “If you eat like a big rat, you have to take a bath like a big rat too.” He set her down and pointed to the bathroom, and she ran toward the door with a proud grin on her face. Gregor sighed and followed her to help her clean up, while their dad and Lizzie sat down at the table. Within moments the front door opened again, and her mom came in with Mrs. Cormaci trailing behind.

“I see my casserole was a big hit,” the lady said after a quick peek into the bathroom at Boots’s face. “I hope it’s not gone already.”

Dinner was eaten quickly once Gregor returned from the bathroom with a squeaky-clean little girl in his arms. Most of their leftovers were from Mrs. Cormaci, who still came to their apartment every day without fail despite knowing that their family was much better off now. Lizzie wondered if the older woman had grown fond of them, or of the excitement that tended to surround them. It was nice to have her around, though.

After dinner the family congregated in the living room. Gregor sat Boots down with a book about colors (Boots liked yelling colors out, and the more she learned, the louder she became) and then took a place on the couch between Lizzie and their dad. The family liked to talk every night. It made everyone feel more secure, and it made Mrs. Cormaci feel like a part of the family, which they’d all come to accept. The first order of business tonight, to everyone’s surprise, was Lizzie.

“What do you want to do for your birthday?” Her mom asked. Lizzie was taken by surprised. Their family had been too poor in the past to spend money on birthday parties or presents.

“Do? Like, a party or a trip or something?”

“Yeah, Liz,” Her dad said. “Do you want to have a party with your friends? We think a party is long overdue for you.”

Lizzie smiled. She could have a party! Maybe she could go to the park and have a picnic, or take some friends to the event center and do laser tag or mini-golf. But then she stopped for a moment and thought about who she wanted to invite. Who did she want to hang out with? The answer wasn’t what she expected.

“Lizzie?” Mrs. Cormaci prompted. “Honey, just tell us what you want to do.”

Lizzie was quiet for another moment and then she opened her mouth and took in a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

“I want to do a party,” she said.

“That’s great, honey,” Grace said. “Do you know where you want to go? Should we host one here, or in the park?”

Lizzie was breathing deeply, her eyes closed. She hoped her parents just assumed she was thinking. For another minute she was quiet, and her family was very patient. Then her eyes shot open and she stared at her mom with hard expression.

“I want to do my party in Regalia.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading! If you notice anything wrong with the canon information please let me know, as I'm not great about remembering specific details from the books. 
> 
> If you have constructive criticism or positive comments, please do review! 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr with the url winterwarlock.


	2. Gregor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie gets an answer about her party, and Gregor realizes he's more excited than he thought.

Gregor’s family sat, shocked, for a few moments. There was no sound, and then his mother cleared her throat and opened her mouth; but she didn’t say anything. She seemed as though she wanted to, but couldn’t.

“That’s what I want the most,” Lizzie added desperately after long moments of silence. Gregor understood her worry. He knew that his mom wanted them to stay away from the Underland permanently, but even after her long stay there she didn’t comprehend the connections that her children had made.

Mrs. Cormaci remained silent throughout this, looking around the room as though she felt out of place making this decision. Gregor’s dad looked at Lizzie with a sad expression, but he wasn’t angry; he more than their mother understood the pull of the world beneath them.

“Lizzie…” his mom began, and then she shut her mouth again. Gregor assumed her first words would have been, ‘Absolutely not!’ But then again, hadn’t they just assured Lizzie that she could choose what she wanted to do for her birthday? Lizzie had chosen boldly, and now his mom felt an obligation to please her.

“Please… please just think about it?” Lizzie pleaded, her voice a whisper. She took quick breaths in and out, and then seemed to remember something and intentionally slowed her breathing down.

Gregor started for a moment, and realized why he was so surprised at his sister’s wish. It had taken her months to get up the courage to come to the Underland; she had wanted to go for ages, but she couldn’t help the panic attacks that came when she thought too much about it. The last time she had made it to Regalia despite the panic attack, and Gregor honestly believed she’d had fun in the Underland, or as much fun as one could have during a war. She had friends there now which gave her even more reason to go back, but Gregor doubted it would be without trouble. She was probably on the verge of a panic attack now, what with the idea of going back to Regalia in addition to the possibly harsh criticism from their parents that she may have to face.

Gregor, too, had friends he wanted to see. He glanced hopefully at his parents, who were shooting looks back and forth.

“All right, Lizzie,” his mom said, defeated. “All right. We’ll think about it.”

Lizzie looked scared and ecstatic at the same time.

Their conversation for the night seemed to be over, so Gregor stood and stretched. He reached down for Boots, who had been silent throughout this exchange. His sister stepped in front of him.

“I’ll get her, Gregor,” Lizzie said. She lifted Boots from the ground and set the little girl on her hip.

He brushed his teeth and used the bathroom, switching out when Lizzie knocked on the door in her pajamas, and then headed to his room. His mom and dad were seeing Mrs. Cormaci out, and Gregor knew he should tell her goodnight, but he was wound up. He laid his head on his pillow and tried to relax.

The Underland. Gregor couldn’t kid himself; he wanted to go back. He always had. He missed the Regalians and their strange eyes and beautiful skin. He missed the bats and the crawlers who had taken such good care of Boots. He even missed Ripred, though he’d never admit it to the rat; he’d never let him live it down. Most of all, he missed Luxa. If his parents decided to let Lizzie have her party down in Regalia, he would be able to see Luxa again! Gregor didn’t think it would be possible for him to sleep tonight. He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but he couldn’t help it. Instead of resting, he listened to his mom and dad whisper back and forth at one another until the early hours of the morning.

The next day Gregor woke past ten o’clock. He was astounded; his parents never let him sleep this late, even though it was the middle of spring break and they had no school. He hurried to get dressed in a t-shirt and jeans but when he emerged from his room, he found Lizzie sitting on the floor with Boots, helping her arrange an animal parade with plastic animal statues. Lizzie saw him and waved.

“Did mom and dad go somewhere?” Gregor asked.

“They’re still asleep,” Lizzie said in a soft voice.

“Asleeeeeeep!” said Boots, more loudly than Gregor would have liked. “No sleep! Time to wake up!”

“Yes, Boots,” Gregor whispered, and Lizzie shushed her, but it was too late. He heard the creaking of the springs on the bed in his mom and dad’s room, and in a few moments the door opened. His dad looked well-rested, and Gregor was relieved.

“I suppose it’s breakfast time,” his dad said, and Boots put her arms up in the air to show him she wanted him to pick her up. He obliged, grunting a bit. Gregor knew from experience that she was growing both in height and weight.

The family sat down for a simple breakfast: cereal and toast. Gregor was silent throughout the meal, as was Lizzie. After they cleaned the dishes, Gregor had an idea.

“Hey, Liz,” he said. “Do you want to come to the park with Boots and me?”

Lizzie nodded. She looked grateful for an excuse to get out of the apartment. Gregor let his dad know that they were heading out and then opened the door for his sisters.

“Going to the park!” Boots shouted on the sidewalk on the way there. “Gooooooing to the paaaaark!” Recently she’d taken to elongating her words, but on the bright side she pronounced them much more accurately now.

Since it was spring break, the park was full of kids. A year ago Gregor would have chased Lizzie and Boots around for the entire visit, but he felt much more grown up since he’d been in the Underland. He felt like he had to watch over his sisters, not play with them. Lizzie seemed to feel the same, or she was just not in the mood. Boots found a couple of other girls to run around with, so Gregor and Lizzie found a bench to sit on.

“Do you think they’ll let me go?” asked Lizzie, breaking the silence between them.

“I don’t know, Liz.” Gregor paused. He looked at her, and her expression was hopeful. “I think they’re really considering it.” That was all he could say, because he would be just as heartbroken as she would if the answer ended up being no. “But for the record, I really want to go back too.”

“Really?” she asked. “I actually thought you might not. I mean…” she quieted. “I know you miss Ares a lot.”

Gregor dropped his eyes to the ground. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to hear his bond’s name without pain in his heart.

“I miss Ares,” he said after a moment. “But I also miss Luxa, and Aurora, and Temp, and Nike, and Howard, and Mareth, and Vikus, and Hazard. I don’t even feel like a really have a life up here anymore.”

“Me neither,” Lizzie said, and Gregor heard the sadness in her voice. “I miss Ripred.”

This was no surprise to Gregor. Ripred, the big sarcastic jerk of a rat, had bonded to Lizzie in a way Gregor would never understand. He knew that it had something to do with Ripred’s dead pups, but he never pressed Lizzie about the information.

“I do, too,” Gregor said with a smile. “I miss Ripred. But don’t you dare tell him that!” And for the first time since last night, Lizzie laughed. They sat the rest of the time in silence until it was late afternoon and Boots wanted to go home.

Mrs. Cormaci was at their house by the time Gregor and Lizzie got back with Boots, and the woman immediately took over cleaning the little girl up for dinner. Gregor headed straight to the dinner table and got noodle casserole for the second night in a row (which he didn’t mind, because this was one of his favorite dishes). Once everyone was seated, Gregor’s mom cleared her throat.

“Lizzie,” she started. Lizzie stopped chewing her mouthful of casserole. She looked back and forth between her parents and swallowed nervously.

“Oh, just tell her,” said Mrs. Cormaci, not taking her eyes off of her second helping of dinner. “Don’t you see how desperate she is? Both of them.” Gregor supposed she was also talking about him. He didn’t even realize that he had stopped eating as well, and his fork was dangling from his fingers precariously.

“All right,” Gregor’s mom said. “Lizzie, we know how much you want to go back to Regalia. When we came back to New York the understanding was that we wouldn’t go back there…”

Lizzie looked as though she was close to tears.

“But it’s clear that isn’t going to happen!” inserted Gregor’s dad. “Someday you all will go back down there, and since now is a time of peace, we understand that there’s no reason to stop you. We need to send a note and make sure that the city is still secure and the truce with the rats holds, but-”

“Thank you so much!” Lizzie stood up from the table and wrapped her arms around her dad’s neck. Gregor beamed, smiling so wide that he had to shut his mouth again quickly so that his food didn’t fall out of it. “You’re the best!”

 **  
** That night, they all slept well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading! If you notice anything wrong with the canon information please let me know, as I'm not great about remembering specific details from the books. 
> 
> If you have constructive criticism or positive comments, please do review! 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr with the url winterwarlock.


	3. Lizzie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to the Underland may be slightly more stressful than previously anticipated.

On Saturday morning, Lizzie was up and about before anyone else. Yesterday morning her father had sent a note down to the Underland and they’d gotten a reply late in the evening; the Underlanders were ecstatic to hear from their Overland friends, and since her father had told them of their time crunch (the end of spring break was two days away), they were prepared to throw a massive party for Lizzie the very next day.

Outside it was cool and cloudy. Lizzie opened all of the windows in the house, hoping that the noise of the streets below and the fresh air would help her keep calm. She had managed to go without a panic attack for the last three days, and with their return to Regalia so close she was becoming more worried. She busied herself with packing, thinking through every possible item she might need. The last time she’d fallen through the grate she had nothing with her and it had been incredibly traumatizing. This time, she would be prepared.

By the time the rest of her family was awake, Boots was settled at the breakfast table with a piece of toast and jelly, and Gregor was nearly through packing as well.

“You’ve got a paper bag, Liz?” he asked casually. Lizzie knew that he didn’t want the question itself to prompt an attack. She took a deep breath and nodded at him.

“What about you? Plenty of flashlights? Batteries? Shirts? Shoes?” She smiled so that he knew she was teasing. After the months he’d spent in the Underland before, he ought to know what to bring.

Mrs. Cormaci bustled in the front door just minutes after her mom and dad were awoken by Boots screaming for more toast, and complaining that the jelly was “reeeeeeeeeeed!” instead of “puuuuuuple!” like it normally was.

“Hi, Mrs. Cormaci,” her brother greeted the older woman. “Are you coming with us?”

“Heavens, no,” Mrs. Cormaci replied, placing a large bag on the kitchen table. “I’ve said before, you couldn’t get me down there no matter what you prodded me with. All these stories of bats, and rats, and giant cockroaches… it all sounds fascinating, my dear, but I think it would be a bit too much for me!”

“What’s in the bag?” Lizzie inquired. “We should be home for dinner tonight…” If Mrs. Cormaci was bringing them more food, she would need to find a place in the refrigerator. As had become the norm, their fridge was actually stuffed full of food.

“Oh, no, dear,” the woman replied. “This is for that rat of yours. I’ve had these shrimp in my freezer for ages and I know he’ll love them.” Lizzie beamed and took the large ziploc bag of shrimp from Mrs. Cormaci, stuffing it down in the small backpack she was bringing. Ripred certainly would be happy with this. “This too,” Mrs. Cormaci added, and Lizzie turned around to grab another bag, this one full of what looked like chocolate fudge cookies. “Those are to share at the party, though. You tell him he only gets ONE.”

“The Underlanders may drag you down to Regalia sometime,” Gregor’s dad warned Mrs. Cormaci as he walked into the room holding Boots, her face still covered in ‘reeeeeeeeeed’ jelly and bread crumbs. “They have some talented cooks, but you’d better stop tempting their appetite for Overlander food!”

Mrs. Cormaci waved him off with a flick of her hand and bustled out of the kitchen to help Lizzie’s mother in the bedroom.

As the family trudged down to the laundry room with their bags, Lizzie couldn’t help thinking about how serious a trip this had already become. They were only meant to be there for part of the day, but both of her parents had packed full backpacks, and her and Gregor had small packs as well. Five months ago the family had primarily used the park entrance to the Underland, but it was broad daylight and there was no way they could get in and out with any hope of staying out of sight. Lizzie’s mother locked the door to the laundry room behind them and put Mrs. Cormaci on guard duty (the woman had offered to play the “couldn’t get the door open” card if anyone came down while the family was still there).

“The note said that they would be here to pick us up at eleven o’clock,” Lizzie’s dad said, glancing at his watch. “It’s eleven-oh-four. The bats will probably be circling.”

“I am not jumping down in there without knowing I’ll be caught,” protested her mom, her voice rising.

“It’s all right, mom,” Gregor assured her. He looked through the grate, and Lizzie followed his eyes to the face of a large white-and-black striped bat.

“Princess!” Boots yelled, struggling away from her mom’s arms. “Greetings, Princess!” She ran to the grate and touched the top of the bat’s head.

“Greetings, Princess,” Nike replied in her pleasant, purring voice. Lizzie smiled and waved at the bat, and Nike said again, “Greetings, Princess,” this time directed at her. “Is your family ready to descend?” Lizzie noticed that though Nike knew Gregor better, she was talking to her. Lizzie nodded, feeling her hands start to tremor.

“Who’ll go first?” her dad asked, and Gregor volunteered, taking Boots from his mom. “Lizzie, you want to go too?” Lizzie thought of something and took a deep breath.

“Nike,” she asked, her voice not quite steady. “How many fliers are there with you? Should I fly alone, or should one of my parents fly with me? Wouldn’t they both be heavy for one of you?” Lizzie supposed it depended on the bat; Gregor’s bond Ares had been strong enough to carry three or four people at once (or Ripred by himself), whereas she knew that the younger, smaller bats could barely manage one person.

“It is myself and a flier you have not yet met named Erasmus. He is strong enough to carry both of your parents, and I shall carry yourself and your brother and sister.” The bat’s head had disappeared and her voice was fainter. “You may drop when you are ready, Overlanders. I will catch you.”

“All right. You ready, Liz?” asked Gregor, Boots in his arms. Lizzie tried to stop her pounding heartbeat and stepped forward, kneeling next to the grate. Gregor crawled through the opening, grabbed onto her hand, and dropped, yanking her forward. Lizzie felt the sudden urge to be sick, and she closed her eyes and fought against the terror that rose in her. Within moments she landed on a more firm surface and wrapped her arms tightly around Gregor.

“Hold on a sec, Liz. Let me get your bag out, all right?” She knew Gregor had brought a paper bag for her to breathe into. Lizzie had one in her own backpack as well but she felt uneasy trying to reach around and get it. She let go of Gregor for a few moments, trying to think of how she was supposed to breathe. In… out. In… out.

Gregor leaned forward and whispered something to Nike, and then he sat back up and handed the bag to Lizzie. She cupped it around her mouth, breathing once more, slowly.

“Princess,” Nike said after a few moments, her voice cheerful. “I remember that you like puzzles, do you not?”

Lizzie took another breath in the bag and then nodded, not wanting to open her mouth for fear she would be sick or begin gasping. Gregor answered the bat for her

“I think you would like to speak to the nibblers once we arrive,” the bat continued. “Since the bond with the gnawers, Regalia has been attempting to allow more creatures in and out of the city. We have a new nibbler ambassador named Apex, and he has been teaching the Regalian children much about puzzles and difficult math problems they have not been exposed to in previous lessons. Perhaps you would enjoy going to one of the classes if you have time later in the day.”

Lizzie listened to the bat talk about the new math classes and the puzzles that the Regalian children were learning, and over the course of a few minutes she took the bag away from her mouth and handed it back to Gregor. She never spoke, but when the great city appeared in front of them, Lizzie was breathing almost normally.

They landed at the edge of the arena, which had been marvelously fixed up since the end of the war with the rats. It was decorated now, and full of life; crawlers, nibblers, bats, and humans rushed amongst each other, hanging decorations on bleachers or rolling blankets out on the ground for sitting once the food had been served.

Gregor hopped off of Nike’s back, and it took Lizzie a moment before she did the same. From the height she tried to find Ripred’s scarred face, but after a few moments she dropped down to the ground.

“Thank you,” she said softly to the bat. “For talking to me on the ride.”

“I will always help you, Princess,” Nike said just as quietly. “We are your friends, here in the Underland.” And then she held out her wings and took off once again.

“Gregor!” Lizzie heard a voice calling for her brother and turned around. An older man was coming toward them, being wheeled from behind in a device that looked very similar to a wheelchair.

“Vikus!” Her brother replied, and Lizzie remembered who the man was. She hadn’t spent time with him before, but she knew Gregor respected him a lot.

“Ah, and Lizzie,” Vikus turned to her, speaking slowly but clearly. “It is your birthday! I hope that your party will be satisfactory.”

Lizzie looked around. There was a large table at the far end of the arena with an array of foods and a large cake. Bins of balls, hoops, and other trinkets were just a few yards away, and there were roaches, mice, and bats standing close by, watching her with gentle expressions. She felt overwhelmed suddenly.   
  
“It’ll be amazing,” she assured him. “How are you?”

“I am fine,” Vikus answered. “My speech has improved tenfold, Howard tells me. My muscle movement, on the other hand…” he trailed off and lifted his hand weakly. “Howard is convinced that I will make a full recovery, which is rare and very difficult. I am very glad to be able to speak to you, at least. I will continue the therapy.”

“That’s great, Vikus,” Gregor said, and started to walk off in another direction with Boots and Vikus. Lizzie felt a hand on her shoulder.

“This is awfully nice,” her mom said. “They went all-out.”

Lizzie smiled and looked around once again. Across the arena, a small boy was playing with a bunch of nibblers.

“Hazard!” Lizzie cried, and ran toward him. He heard her and ran to greet her, taking her hand immediately.

“You have returned!” He cried. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen you. Have you met many of the guests yet?” Lizzie shook her head. “I will introduce you!”

He lead her first to a group of mice playing in the middle of the arena with a few of their pups. The largest mouse there was black with a white patch over his shoulders, and as she looked more closely the pattern appeared pointed near the top of his shoulder. She wondered if this was Apex, the new nibbler ambassador Nike had mentioned.

“This is Apex,” Hazard told her, coming up behind the mouse, and Lizzie felt a rush of pride knowing that she had been able to deduce his identity. The mouse hopped over to her. “Apex, this is Lizzie,” Hazard continued. “She’s an Overlander. She likes puzzles.”

“Wonderful!” said the mouse, his voice lower than she expected. “Regalian children, for the most part, do not share my enthusiasm for my teachings. Would you like to do a few math problems with me?”

“I would like to,” Lizzie said happily. “But, maybe later? After the party?”

The older mouse nodded, satisfied, and led her to where the circle of mice were still playing. He introduced her to his partner, a lovely cinnamon-colored mouse named Kite, and the three pups they were playing with - orphans, all three from different litters. Lizzie was about to sit down in the circle to play with them when Hazard spotted Luxa and grasped Lizzie’s hand firmly, pulling her toward his cousin.

“Lizzie,” Luxa greeted her with a smile, embracing her warmly. “You have returned. I hope your party will be satisfactory.”

“It looks really nice,” Lizzie assured her. She looked at the ground for a moment and then spoke in a softer tone. “Luxa… is Ripred here?”

“I’m sorry, Lizzie. He left Regalia a couple of days ago and I do not know when he is expected to return.” The older girl regarded her with a bit of sadness. “The moment he arrives within the city you will be the first to know.” Lizzie nodded, trying not to look disappointed.

“Have you seen Gregor yet?” she asked, moving the conversation. “I know he was desperate to see you.”

“Was he?” Luxa replied with a grin. “I have not yet seen him. Have you any idea where he might be?”

Lizzie turned and looked across the arena. Close by, she saw that her father had introduced himself to Apex and Kite and was speaking enthusiastically to both of them, and her mother had found her way to Howard. Gregor and Boots, however, were nowhere to be found.

“No, I’m sorry,” Lizzie said. “I think he’ll find you during the party though.” The older girl nodded and began to turn away, but Lizzie stopped her. “And, Luxa? Thank you so much for this. It’s amazing. I feel right at home.” This brought on a laugh from Luxa that Lizzie didn’t quite understand.

“All right!” came a yell suddenly from a few yards away. Lizzie saw that Howard had separated himself from her mother and stood with his hands in the air. “Food is served! Please take as much as you would like, and be sure to congratulate our very celebrated guest, Lizzie the Overlander - for this is a party in honor of her birthday!” He winked at her as a flock of Underland humans and creatures came toward her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading! If you notice anything wrong with the canon information please let me know, as I'm not great about remembering specific details from the books. 
> 
> If you have constructive criticism or positive comments, please do review! 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr with the url winterwarlock.


	4. Gregor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out Underland parties are way more fun than Overland ones.

Gregor hung back from the crowd that enveloped his sister. He wasn’t worried that she would feel overwhelmed anymore; her face as Howard announced her birthday had been one of pure joy. It was actually incredibly cute, and Gregor was glad that after her first troubling experience here, she was able to put it aside and enjoy herself with the people and the creatures she knew and could talk to.

“Greeeeeeeeeegor!” Boots shouted in his face, her voice high-pitched and whiny. “Greeeeeegor! I can see Temp?” She had mentioned the cockroach already twice since they arrived, but Gregor had been unable to catch the attention of any of the roaches thus far. They seemed to be in charge of decorations and were rushing about, bringing colored ribbons and indicating the places where tables should be set up.

“Yeah, Boots,” Gregor sighed. “We can see Temp, okay?” He peered around the arena, looking desperately for any roach. When he caught sight of one about fifteen yards behind him, he started off in that direction. Gregor couldn’t tell whether it was Temp or not from this far away, but he didn’t think it was. This roach was much darker than most of the others.

“It be Overlander, it be,” the roach said to him when he was close enough to hear. As Gregor approached, he saw that this bug had perfectly straight antennae, and knew immediately that this was not Temp. Gregor was still surprised at how well-known he was even to the creatures he had never met. The roach clicked his legs together a couple of times, and then changed his wording. “This be Princess, this be?” Gregor nodded.

“Hey, yeah.” Gregor was still unsure of how exactly to talk to the roaches. “Are you…”

“I be Chant, I be,” the roach told him with a click, and Gregor felt immensely relieved that the roach had introduced himself. He would have hated to offend him; the roach knew who he was, and Gregor would have looked inconsiderate had he not known the roach.

“Right! Chant,” Gregor said. Boots reached down to the ground and he let her go. “Boots - she’s looking for a good friend of hers, Temp. Do you know where he is?” The roach perked up.

“I know Temp, I know,” Chant said. “Find Temp, we will, find Temp.” And he lowered to the ground, letting Boots clamber awkwardly onto his back. Chant took off without a goodbye to Gregor, but he was used to it.

With the relief of not having to watch Boots, Gregor turned around and began searching for his other friends. His heart pounded. He hadn’t yet seen Luxa, and it had been five months ago that he’d told her goodbye for what he thought was the last time. Unfortunately, there were literally hundreds of Underlanders, roaches, bats, and mice down here; Gregor couldn’t have spotted her if his life depended on it.

“Overlander,” purred a voice behind him suddenly, and he spun around. A large golden bat was staring at him.

“Aurora!” Gregor beamed, walking up to her. “It’s great to see you!”

“It is good to see you as well, Overlander.” Aurora shuffled forward a bit. Gregor knew that ground travel was uncomfortable for her, and he hoped she wouldn’t be stuck down here for long. “I did not believe I would see you again. This is a welcome surprise.”

“Same here,” he said, putting effort into talking to her. As much as he wanted to see Aurora’s bond Luxa, the bat had only ever been kind to him and he was sad that he hadn’t really gotten to know her. “How are you? How is Regalia?” He refrained from asking about Luxa, afraid to pass over Aurora in favor of her bond.

“The city is well. We have rebuilt the damaged areas and are building new facilities to accommodate the many visitors now that there is peace once again. Luxa is doing very well, Overlander.” He hadn’t fooled her, but there was no hint of sadness or jealousy in her voice, and she even laughed at him for a moment. “She was greeting your sister at the food tables. I would try to find her there.”

“Thanks, Aurora,” Gregor said gratefully. He reached out to pat the bat’s golden fur before jogging off in the direction of the food tables. Most of the crowd had migrated away and now sprawled out on the arena floor with plates, baskets, or cloths full of food. He spotted her near the far edge of the tables.

As he approached, his heart began to beat more quickly. Would she be angry at him? Would she have moved on and found another, more dashing boy of Regalian blood? He ran through scenarios in his head: he might get slapped, or ignored, or yelled at. But she caught his eye and beamed, and Gregor felt only joy.

“Gregor,” she said happily. She reached her hands out to him and he accepted them, pulling her into an embrace. Her pale arms came up to his shoulders and as she pulled out of his embrace she planted a kiss on his cheek. Gregor was stunned for a moment. “You have returned!”

“Yeah,” he said, feeling a bit lame. “I’m sorry about that… the whole, ‘I’m leaving forever’ thing and then coming back…” He looked at the ground.

“It is fine,” Luxa assured him. “I am happy to see you! We all are. No matter what you think we believed of you when we parted last, the city is very fond of your family. One mention of Lizzie’s birthday and half of the city turned out to greet her.” She smiled once again at him and Gregor felt his cheeks redden.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said. “I was hoping you didn’t, like… hate me, or something.”

“Hate you?” Luxa exclaimed. “How could I hate you, Gregor?” She rolled her eyes and Gregor had the sudden urge to kiss her, but he felt uncomfortable with so many people around, so he just smiled awkwardly.

“Come. Lizzie and your parents are already seated on one of the blankets with food. We should join them, and we can talk a bit more.” Luxa grasped his wrist and dragged him through groups of Underlander humans and creatures.

They approached the blanket Luxa was talking about, and it was massive. Gregor’s parents, Lizzie, Howard, Aurora, Hazard, two mice Gregor hadn’t yet met, Boots, Temp, and Chant were already seated around the edge and there was plenty of room left for Gregor and Luxa. There were open seats between Aurora on the right and Howard on the left.

“We are all together again,” Howard said with a grin as they sat down. “One large family, yes?” There was agreement around the circle, and Luxa took Gregor’s hand in her own. “Now that our last two guests have arrived, let us eat!” He opened the basket in the middle of the table and everyone reached in at once. Gregor’s parents were the first to get food and Howard was quick after. Lizzie reached in and grabbed a couple of rolls, handing them to the mice before she got anything for herself. Once most of them had their hands full, Luxa reached in to get something for Aurora, and Temp scuttled forward to get food for Boots.

“It be Overlander, it be,” Temp said in Gregor’s general direction. Gregor smiled and reached out to touch Temp’s folded wing in greeting.

“Let us all catch up to one another,” Luxa suggested, her mouth full of bread.

So they went around the circle, one by one. Lizzie thanked everyone first for the party, looking absolutely thrilled. Gregor’s mom and dad thanked everyone as well, but didn’t seem to have much else to say. Howard told them all that he was still working in the hospital, and that he had been assigned mostly to the children’s ward, which included Underland children as well as mouse and rat pups who came in sick.

“It’s great fun,” Howard said, and truly seemed happy. “I get to play with the children and help keep them healthy. And Hazard has been helping me as well. He is able to communicate with the pups.”

Hazard, as it turned out, had been instrumental in gaining new ambassadors within the city. He could now communicate almost flawlessly with the roaches and mice, and when Ripred was in the city he continued their lessons in Rat. Gregor’s dad looked very impressed at these mentions.

“It’s been a week or so since their last lesson,” Luxa interrupted at some point. “Honestly, our bond means more to the entire gnawer population than it does to Ripred. I believe he stays in Regalia for our food, and the moment our cooks take a break he is gone once again.” This brought on a laugh from Aurora, who seemed completely content with not being Luxa’s only bond anymore.

Continuing around the circle, Gregor learned that the two mice sitting next to Lizzie were named Apex and Kite. Apex was one of the new ambassadors and was also the math teacher whom Nike had mentioned on their ride here. The cockroaches introduced themselves as well; or, rather, Boots did it for them. She introduced the darker roach as Chant and the lighter roach as Temp, and sounded incredibly happy doing so.

When they were nearly done eating, Gregor felt a hand on his shoulder. He wiped his mouth and looked behind him, and nearly spit his food out again.

“Mareth!” he cried, standing up immediately. He passed over the pleasantries and gave the soldier a big hug, which was returned with enthusiasm. “It’s awesome to see you, man!”

“It is very good to see you as well, Gregor,” Mareth replied. He looked very healthy now, with more muscle than he had shown when Gregor had left five months ago. “You look almost the same.

“You look like you’ve been back out training,” Gregor observed, and Mareth nodded.

“If I could interrupt,” Howard said, “I am going to announce the games we have for the children to play. If you two will help me set them up, that would be much appreciated.”

Gregor sighed and followed Howard and Mareth to a large open space on the field, leaving Luxa with a wave. As directed, he grabbed a number of large hoops from one of the boxes and began placing them on the areas designated by Howard. Mareth seemed to know what he was doing, and Gregor remembered how out-of-place he sometimes felt down here. As Howard announced the rules of the game, Gregor finished placing the hoops and then jogged back to Howard, standing close to him. Mareth joined him after adjusting a couple of the hoops.

“What exactly is this game?” Gregor asked, confused. The hoops weren’t aligned in any particular order, and it seemed that as the kids filed out onto the field to stand in them, they weren’t waiting for anything he could see.

“Did you not hear my explanation only moments ago?” Howard teased. Gregor blushed, embarrassed.

“It is a logical game,” Mareth told him, leaning in closer. “The pups love it because it is also math-related. Howard thought your sister would enjoy it as well.” He pointed out the children inside the hoops, now facing one direction. Gregor saw Lizzie, swinging her arms around nervously. “Howard will yell a number every half-minute or so. The children must count their steps together, and make it to the next hoop in exactly the number of steps indicated. They must learn to judge the distances of the hoops, because some will require small steps and some may require very large steps.”

“Oh,” Gregor said. That actually sounded relatively fun. “That’s cool. I’ve never heard of a game like that.” He watched the progress around the ring of hoops. Most of the children were very good at it, including Lizzie. She was laughing and counting along with all the rest. He noticed that when one of them miscounted or didn’t make it to the hoop, they went into the middle of the circle and spun around while the other children continued counting. Howard changed the numbers rapidly as the game went along, to the point where the kids almost had to run to the hoops.

When all of the children had gotten out, Howard called them in for the next game. This one was more like a puzzle - Gregor had a feeling Lizzie would love it. It was like charades, but you had to play blind. Howard would call a bat, a mouse, and a human up to the front row and would pick a child to stand in front of them. The three participants had to pretend to be one of the others - for instance, a mouse would pretend to be a bat - and then the child or pup who was blindfolded would have to feel the participants and try to determine from their posture and actions which being they were imitating.

This game went on for a good thirty minutes at least, and after a while Gregor wandered away. He found Vikus talking to his parents with Mareth (who had snuck off some time before Gregor) and Luxa holding his wheelchair.

“I’m not sure…” Gregor’s mom was saying as he walked up.

“Not sure about what?” Gregor inquired.

“Ah, Gregor,” Vikus said softly. It seemed it was harder for him to talk now; Gregor hoped he wasn’t overexerting himself. “I was speaking to your parents about the possibility of you, Lizzie, and Boots staying the night with us.”

“Look at how peaceful everything is here, Grace,” Gregor’s dad whispered to her. “You know the kids will have fun. We can go home and have a little alone time.” Gregor’s mom looked worried, but she agreed quickly, and Gregor hoped his surprise (and glee) didn’t register too obviously on his face.

“They need to be home by noon tomorrow, though,” she insisted. “They can have breakfast here but please send them home after that.”

“That will be fine,” Luxa assured her, holding herself upright. “We will be tired of them after that anyway.” His mom smiled for the first time since coming to Regalia today, and Gregor shot Luxa a look of gratitude.

“Let’s just make sure that’s okay with Lizzie and Boots,” his dad said.

“Boots is fine,” Gregor snorted. “She’s running around with Temp and Chant. She probably won’t even realize she’s staying the night until we get home tomorrow.”

They walked toward the field where the games were still going on, and Gregor fell back to walk next to Luxa. He reached his hand out to her and she grasped it firmly, swinging her arm a couple of times.

“Lizzie,” Mareth called softly, and she left from her place in the back of the game line to come over.

“Is everything okay?” she asked worriedly.

“Absolutely, sweetie,” Gregor’s dad said. “We just wanted to see if you would be okay with staying the night in Regalia.”

Lizzie’s face lit up like the sun.

“Could I? Really?” She wrapped Gregor’s dad in a hug, and then his mom as well. “Thank you so much!” She beamed at them and then ran back to her place in the line, squeezing in between a young brown bat Gregor didn’t know and an Underlander girl who only looked a year or so older than Boots.

“I guess that is it, then,” Luxa said to Gregor’s parents. “You are welcome to stay longer, but I think your children will be happy here.”

“We can leave now,” Gregor’s dad said, his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Or whenever you have a flier available to take us.”

“We can call Erasmus,” Vikus said. “He will be able to take you.” Gregor’s dad patted Gregor’s shoulder once and then turned around and walked away with Vikus and Mareth, leaving Gregor and Luxa alone.

“Well, tonight will be fun,” he said to Luxa with a grin. She returned it.

“Yes, it will be.” She began to drag him toward Howard. “For now, let us play the games!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading! If you notice anything wrong with the canon information please let me know, as I'm not great about remembering specific details from the books.
> 
> If you have constructive criticism or positive comments, please do review!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr with the url winterwarlock.


	5. Lizzie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie reunites with a great big lug of a friend.

“Thanks,” Lizzie said to a bat she didn’t know who bowed his head slightly to her. She was busy thanking all of the guests who had come to her party; Luxa explained that in the Underland the host was meant to greet and thank every single guest, and Lizzie was more than happy to oblige. There were more than two hundred bats, mice, Underlanders, cockroaches, and even a rat or two, and Lizzie knew about one-tenth of them - but she was grateful for their company anyway.

“Thank you,” she said to a young Underland boy and his even younger sister, and they giggle and moved on. The line of guests filing out of the arena was growing shorter and shorter; in fact, she knew almost everyone walking toward her now.

“I hope your party was fun, Overlander,” Luxa’s bat Aurora said to her, with Luxa and Gregor walking next to her. “We will see you for the rest of the night, yes?”

“Yeah,” Lizzie sighed with happiness. Aurora walked a few paces and then took off, but Gregor and Luxa stuck close to Lizzie as the last few guests trickled past her.

“Everyone was thrilled to have been at your party today, Lizzie,” Luxa told her. “The whole city loves you. Even more than they love Gregor!” All three of them laughed. “I expect you are hungry, after hours in the arena.” It had been almost four hours since Lizzie’s parents had left and nearly six since lunch. Her stomach grumbled.

“I’m hungry,” Gregor inserted. He put his hands on Lizzie’s shoulders and began walking her toward the entrance to the city. “Dinner! Let’s eat dinner!” He pushed her forward and began to make choo-choo train noises, and Lizzie laughed and stumbled forward. Luxa walked further back with a perplexed but amused expression.

“Oh!” Gregor said suddenly. “Where’s Boots?”

“Not to worry, Gregor,” Luxa assured him. “She is already in the High Hall. The crawlers took her back just minutes ago.” Gregor nodded.

“Do we have to use the platform?” Gregor asked. Lizzie stopped laughing and peered at where they were headed, noticing the flat platform which was already on the ground in front of them.

“We do not,” Luxa assured them, mainly for Lizzie’s sake. Gregor had ridden on the thing before. Lizzie followed Luxa’s gaze upwards, and realized that she was going to flag down one of the few bats still circling below the ceiling of the cavern. The young queen waved her arms above her head and one of the bats dove, spreading its wings to land just in front of the group of three.

“Persephone,” Luxa greeted the bat, a middle-sized female with coffee-brown fur.

“Your Highness,” the bat responded quickly. “What can I do for you?”

“The Overlanders are still uncomfortable with the city’s platform entrance,” Luxa explained. “If you would, we would appreciate a lift into the High Hall. Could you carry us and call another flier if necessary?”

“I am able to fly you, Your Highness,” Persephone said. “Mareth has been working with me on my strength. You three are small in weight, and it is not a long flight.” She moved her wings to make it easier for Lizzie, Gregor, and Luxa to climb onto her back. As she took off, Lizzie grasped her fur, breathing slowly.

It was less than a minute before Persephone was landing in the High Hall, where people were already bustling around, carrying large dishes of food and laying them out on the table. Lizzie’s mouth watered. She hopped off of the bat and gave a small thank-you before heading toward the table. There were already many of her friends there; Lizzie’s brother headed toward Mareth, while Luxa joined her bond at the other end of the table. Boots was on the opposite side of the table from Gregor, with Temp and Chant sitting obediently behind her chair. Vikus waved Lizzie to a seat next to Gregor, and an empty seat on her other side which had a plate in front of it.

“We have another guest arriving sometime soon,” Luxa told Lizzie. “He’ll sit next to you, as Howard has been called back to the hospital.”

Lizzie was puzzled. She wondered if perhaps there was another mouse or someone else in Luxa’s family who would be attending. She put the information aside and grabbed the serving spoon of the plate in front of her.

“So, Lizzie, was your party enjoyable?” asked Mareth from across the table.

“It was really fun!” she said before she had even swallowed, and then felt disgusted with herself for talking with food in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. “I had so much fun. Way more than I would have if I had my party up in New York.”

“What would it have been like in New York?” Luxa asked, pronouncing the city’s name with her slight Underland accent.

“Umm…” Lizzie tried to think. “I could have done lots of things. Like go to the park or the event center and played Laser Tag or Mini Golf. Or maybe gone to the swimming pool, but it was kind of cold for that.”

All of the Underlanders at the table looked completely perplexed.

“Laser… tag?” Aurora asked.

“What is Mini-Golf?” Luxa followed. “I am not familiar with either of these words.”

Lizzie couldn’t help laughing, and she saw that Gregor was also trying to keep quiet. She didn’t know as well as him that the Underlanders truly had no idea what happened in the Overland sometimes.

“Laser tag is a game. You go into a dark room with a bunch of other people, and you carry laser guns - these devices that shoot rays of light called lasers. To win the game you have to shoot the laser guns and hit other people with the light, but not get hit yourself.” She hoped she had explained it all right. Mareth seemed to understand a bit, at least; he gave a small nod and leaned back in his chair.

“And mini golf is a fun game too,” Gregor explained. “Golf is a game where you hit a small ball into the air with a long metal club and aim to get it in a small hole. Mini-golf is a smaller version of that, where the hole is only a few yards away instead of hundreds of yards.”

“These Overland games are… strange,” Vikus commented for the first time during the meal. “I should like to see a picture of this Laser Tag at some time. I wonder if there is one in the museum.”

“I doubt it,” Lizzie said. “But maybe when Gregor and I come again we can bring some pictures.”

“Oh, you don’t want to see pictures of that,” drawled a low voice from the doorway. “They look utterly stupid playing laser tag.” Lizzie froze. She knew the voice immediately.

“Ripred!” she shrieked, stumbling out of her chair and running toward him. His dark gray fur had grown back well, and though his pelt was clumpy it was no longer falling out. She slammed into his chest and wrapped her arms around him (only about halfway, for he had put on muscle and weight again and his chest was too large for her to reach all the way around). He chuckled and returned the embrace, his paws on her shoulders. Lizzie let go after a couple of moments and looked up at him, her eyes shining. “You’re here!”

“Of course I’m here,” Ripred said as though the fact was completely irrelevant. “How could I not come when I heard that you were coming to the Underland again? I might have ignored the warrior’s return visit, but never you.”

“Love you too, Ripred,” Gregor snorted from back at the table. Ripred waved his tail in Gregor’s direction and said nothing, pushing Lizzie back toward her place at the table.

“But… I thought you were away!” Lizzie said, still breathless. She didn’t know she had missed him so much.

“We sent a flier,” Mareth said to her as she sat back down. “I wasn’t sure he would be able to make it back, he was so far. You made good time, Ripred.” The rat stayed standing, pushing his chair out of the way. A pair of Underlanders brought him a bowl of food that was entirely his own.

“Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig raaaaaat!” Boots yelled suddenly. She had been silent for the entire meal before now, and it was like she’d only just noticed Ripred. The toddler grabbed her plate and stuck her face straight in it, covering her face in mush. The entire table burst out laughing, and Lizzie could hear Aurora’s deep laugh over everyone else.

“You!” Gregor pointed accusingly at Ripred, but he was laughing too. “You taught her this!”

“I taught your pup no such thing,” Ripred stated incredulously. “It’s not my fault if she picks up on what she sees. You’re not the one who has to clean her up anyway, so why care?”

“My parents care,” Gregor said.

“Your parents should be glad that a friendly rat like me is looking out for her. What if she happens to loose both hands someday, and then has no idea how to eat?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Gregor said, but he left Boots alone.

“Well, Ripred, have you no greeting for your bond?” Luxa said, staring past Lizzie at the rat. Lizzie felt bad all of a sudden, and shrunk down a bit in her chair. She should have let Luxa greet the rat first; he was her bond, after all.

“I shall greet you, Your Young Highness, after I had finished my meal,” Ripred said without looking at her. Luxa and Gregor pointed at each other suddenly and began to laugh, but Ripred paid no attention. “Oh, and you all ought to be aware that on my way back I encountered two dozen or so very unhappy gnawers. I ran from them and they may be headed to the city.”

“Ripred!” Vikus exclaimed with alarm. “You thought not to mention this to the front guards?”

“I seriously doubt they’ll make it here,” Ripred waved at him nonchalantly. “And they are small in numbers.”

“Two dozen is hard enough for us to handle,” Vikus countered. “Especially with more of our efforts focused on rebuilding the city. I thought you were certain that the gnawers were peaceful now.” The older man looked visibly worried. Lizzie remembered that he had suffered a stroke and lost his wife during the last war, and she understood why he would be upset. She frowned at Ripred.

“The gnawers are mostly peaceful, Vikus. Many like Lapblood who know me are considering making human bonds of their own.” Lizzie stopped frowning. That was really good, wasn’t it? She wondered if her parents would let her or Gregor bond to a rat. “Others tolerate the bond and will honor it unless they are threatened, but there will always be rogue gnawers who hate humans, just like there will always be humans within the city who would like to see all of us dead. That’s just how it is.”

“We will watch out for an attack, Vikus,” Mareth said reassuringly. “We are strong enough.”

“Look,” Ripred said exasperatedly, “If they get here I’ll rage for you and take them down. But I don’t think it will come to that.”

Lizzie felt uneasy now. Her parents had left herself and Gregor and Boots here with the belief that the Underland was completely peaceful. What if the rats attacked and they were stuck down here again? Her parents would never let them come again, and Lizzie hated wars. She didn’t want to do codebreaking again, or have to hide in a small room, or say goodbye to people she loved. She felt herself growing nauseous, and her breathing became labored.

“Lizzie, I have a puzzle for you,” Ripred said, having noticed her distress. . He sat down on the ground next to her chair, his head just a little above hers. “Myself, Lapblood, Flyfur, Sixclaw, and Twitchtip live in a nesting area. The nests themselves are in a ditch, two against the cave wall, one beneath the low overhang of a rock, and one in a large patch of moss. Got that?”

Lizzie tried to clear her head. Five nests, five rats. She huffed and nodded.

“Twitchtip’s nest is not in the moss. Lapblood sleeps next to one of her pups. Flyfur and Sixclaw sleep next to the cave wall and in the ditch. Ripred is too large to reach Twitchtip’s nest. Where does Ripred sleep?”

The table fell quiet as Lizzie pondered the puzzle, her breathing short and quick. Twitchtip’s nest was not in the moss, meaning that it was possible Ripred could sleep there. Lapblood sleeps next to one of her pups, and one of her pups sleeps next to the cave wall… meaning that Ripred did not sleep in either of the nests next to the cave wall. One of Lapblood’s pups also takes the ditch. Ripred could not sleep in the ditch or next to the cave wall. Twitchtip’s nest was not in the moss, which meant that she must sleep under the rock, leaving the moss nest for Ripred. Lizzie smiled, her breathing more calm.

“In the moss,” she said. “You sleep in the moss.”

“That I do,” Ripred said, and patted the top of her head. “Good job, Lizzie. More soup?”

The rest of dinner passed without incident. Vikus excused himself early to rest and Ripred told everyone that Lapblood may be appearing; she and her two pups were actually considering bonding with humans and they were interested in helping rebuild the city. Lapblood had suggested Ripred talk to Vikus about allowing her to be the first rat ambassador besides Ripred.

“We will think about it,” Vikus told the rat, and Luxa rushed him off to bed.

“They’ll likely be arriving tomorrow,” Ripred called after him. “Best decide quickly!”

Luxa glared at him but announced lightheartedly that it was time for the lot of them to go to bed. One of the largest rooms had been transformed into a big sleeping area, with blankets and pillows laid all over the ground. Lizzie followed Luxa and Aurora to the large room.   
  
“Pick anywhere, Birthday Girl,” Mareth told her with a smile. Lizzie chose a place right in the middle on a large, thick blanket. Ripred bounded to the middle as well. Luxa chose a place to her right, and after returning from the nursery with a now-clean Boots, Gregor picked his place next to Luxa. He gave Boots to Temp and Chant, who walked all around the large space for nearly five minutes until Boots decided where she wanted to sleep. Gregor suggested that Mareth pick a place to sleep, but the ex-soldier declined.

“I’ll be here with you, but not sleeping,” he said. “Someone has to give you all adult supervision!” He was joking, but he still didn’t pick a place to lie down.

There was even a built-in overhang at the back of the room where Aurora could rest upside-down, and the bat fluttered straight there, even though Luxa attempted to convince her to sleep with the rest of the fliers in the cavern for the night.

“I am tired,” Aurora insisted, “And the other fliers were resting for most of the day. They will be active.” She hooked her claws into the ridge of the overhang and closed her eyes, and was asleep in just moments.

No one showed any sign of wanting to stay up. They were all exhausted after spending the entire afternoon running around and talking and playing games. Gregor laid down almost immediately, too tired to even worry about Boots, who was already asleep as well. Lizzie sat cross-legged and breathed slowly for a minute or so, feeling her eyes droop. Ripred sprawled out a few feet from her, his legs all over the place. She felt like laughing at the strange position, but it took too much effort. Her eyes closed and she was asleep in seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yes, I'm aware that Twitchtip is dead. :( Ripred is aware too, but since he needed another rat for the puzzle, she fit into it well. 
> 
> Thank y'all for reading! If you notice anything wrong with the canon information please let me know, as I'm not great about remembering specific details from the books.
> 
> If you have constructive criticism or positive comments, please do review!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr with the url winterwarlock.


	6. Gregor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie is happy to be spending some person time with her Underland friends. Gregor is thrilled to see Lapblood again, no matter how much Ripred makes fun of him for it. The Regalians and Overlanders also discover that Ripred is a big, fat liar when it comes to numbers of things.

In the morning, Gregor felt fantastic. Despite sleeping on the floor he had been very comfortable, and he didn’t wake until well into the morning. Around him, blankets were being moved and folded. It seemed Gregor was the last to wake other than Ripred, who was still sprawled out on his side, snoring quite loudly. 

Gregor extracted his limbs from the folds of his blanket and stood, stretching. Boots was riding on Temp in the corner of the room; her loud toddler screams assured him of her presence. He picked up his blanket and rolled it up, but, unsure of what to do with it, searched around for Luxa or Mareth. He caught sight of the former standing just behind Ripred with a large bucket in her hands.

It took Gregor only moments to comprehend what she was planning to do. She was creeping silently forward, holding the bucket steady, and the water within it reflected the torchlight around the room. Ever so quietly she lifted her wake-up call over the rat’s head and then dumped the bucket, jumping back. She tossed the bucket toward Gregor, who dropped his blanket to catch the bucket and ended up dropping it as well with a loud clang. 

The rat woke with a snarl, twisting around and baring his teeth at Gregor and Luxa. Behind him, Lizzie stepped back, quite surprised and a little bit scared. Water rolled off of his head in streams, droplets on his nose and whiskers. He looked as though he was about to attack them, but Gregor wasn’t worried. He wouldn’t attack in front of Lizzie. Right?

“Brats,” Ripred spat angrily, his eyes glaring. “You’re lucky the Princesses are here.” Gregor registered no surprise at that statement. 

“Now that everyone is awake,” Luxa said, her eyes still shining but slightly apologetic, “We will go down to the field outside the city. Nike and Aurora are there already, and I believe that Lapblood and her pups will be joining us for breakfast. Then we will send the Overlanders off.”

Gregor felt a bit of excitement that surprised him. He hadn’t had time to speak much to Lapblood given that the last time he’d seen her was just after the war, but he couldn’t hide his affection for the rat. He wouldn’t mind saying hello to her before they left. 

“Oh,” he heard Lizzie murmur. He turned to look at her. “That means I won’t be able to sit in on one of Apex’s classes.”

“Next time,” Luxa assured her. The Queen grasped Lizzie’s hand and pulled her out of the large area and through the palace.

They did have to use the platform entrance to leave, and Gregor took Boots away from Temp and Chant and held her himself on the way down.

“It’s not you guys,” he assured the roaches, who seemed slightly distressed that Gregor didn’t trust them to hold her. “She squirms. I’m afraid if she tilted to one side, you guys would end up falling with her.” He was more worried that the roaches wouldn’t have a way to catch her, but they seemed satisfied with his explanation and settled down behind him, content to get Boots back once they were on the ground again. 

Gregor would have been trying to hold Lizzie as well, but with Ripred around there was no point. Lizzie was sitting between the rat’s paws, leaning against his belly. Gregor had once thought that Ripred had no kindness in his heart, but the softness he showed for Lizzie was endearing. Gregor almost liked him sometimes, as long as his sister was around.

Once they were on the ground Gregor gave Boots back to Temp, who raced forward with her. Temp had only greeted him once the night before but Gregor knew he wasn’t talkative, and was also aware of how happy the bug was to have Boots back. 

“Overlander,” Ripred said from behind him, “I have a feeling that your fighting skills have waned since we last met. We’re going to practice after breakfast.”

“I don’t want to practice!” Gregor said, before he could stop himself, and then put a hand to his head and mentally punched himself for back-talking. It would only make things worse. 

“I don’t want to hear your whining,” Ripred said haughtily, and ended the subject before Gregor could get another word in. “Ah, Lapblood is here!”

Waiting for them yards away was Lapblood and two rats Gregor assumed were her pups, Flyfur and Sixclaw, who were completely grown now. Hazard was already there, along with Nike and Aurora. The boy was attempting to converse with one of the rats, and the rat seemed thoroughly interested in whatever Hazard had to say. 

Gregor recognized Lapblood immediately. He saw her get Hazard’s attention and then whisper something in his ear. Hazard nodded and walked toward Gregor, stopping in front of him and then looking to the side at Ripred. Hazard launched into a series of animated rat squeaks, and when he was through Ripred began to guffaw, sitting back and shaking. Hazard looked pleased with himself. 

“Is he supposed to be laughing?” Gregor asked.

“Yes!” cried Hazard. 

“Yes, because that was funny,” Ripred said, finally taking a breath. “Oh, good boy, Hazard. You’re well on your way to truly understanding how we rats talk.”

“What did he say?” asked Luxa with a frown at her bond. 

“He repeated a rat rhyme that we make pups do, which includes a number of our strangest phrases, and then called me a number of rude names to boot.” Ripred pointed at Lapblood. “I assume those were your doing.”

Lapblood nodded, and Hazard, having done his job, headed back to continue talking with Flyfur and Sixclaw.

Luxa was unamused. She followed Hazard to greet Flyfur and Sixclaw, and Aurora joined her within moments. Lapblood approached Gregor, Lizzie and Ripred. 

“Lizzie, this is Lapblood,” Ripred told her. “Your brother has a thing for her.”

Gregor felt his cheeks grow bright red when Lapblood looked at him. Not five seconds after seeing her and Ripred couldn’t just leave him alone. Lizzie giggled and Gregor sighed. 

“Like you and me?”

“Precisely, but more intimate. The Warrior even brushed her fur once. Lapblood doesn’t let anyone do that.” Ripred grinned at Gregor, who shot him an angry glare. The rat ushered Lizzie to where Hazard, Luxa, the other rats, and Boots were, to get breakfast from a large basket. 

“I’m not the Warrior anymore!” Gregor called after Ripred, trailing off into a mutter. “You big fat rat.” He turned his attention back to Lapblood, who was staring at him with an amused expression.

“Hey,” Gregor said, willing his cheeks to turn back to their normal color. He shouldn’t be upset. She was a rat. But on the other hand, he did like her, and he supposed he wanted to impress her to an extent, though who knew where that instinct came from.

“Overlander,” she said back. She was smaller than Ripred, so when she sat down she was just a bit taller than Gregor. “I expected never to see you again.” She twitched her whiskers.

“That’s what everyone is saying,” Gregor laughed. “Sorry to disappoint.” 

“Oh, no disappointment. There’s not a gnawer here who doesn’t want a chance to beat you up.” She paused, and Gregor wasn’t sure if she was serious. “Have you met my pups?”

“Once,” Gregor said. “Back during the war. Flyfur and Sixclaw, right? How are they?”

“Very well,” Lapblood said. “They’ve come with me to speak to Vikus. All of us are interested in helping to re-build the city, and they are considering the possibility of bonding with humans. They will be the very first, other than Ripred.”

“That’s great!” Gregor exclaimed. “I hope Vikus says yes. It’s about time everyone around here stopped hating each other.” He paused for a second, not sure if he should let his curiosity get the better of him. “Are you also considering a bond?” Lapblood regarded him quietly, and Gregor suddenly hoped he hadn’t said something wrong.

“There is only one human I could tolerate enough to bond with,” she said evenly, “and that is you, Gregor.”

Gregor was taken aback, and he was quiet for a few moments, not knowing what to say. 

“That’s really nice of you,” he blurted out finally, and Lapblood laughed nearly as hard as Ripred had minutes before. 

“No it’s not. That I tolerate you well enough to bond with you? That’s not a compliment, Overlander.” She shook her head. “But regardless, those are my feelings. I know you are still upset at your flier’s death. I am not desperate to bond, nor will I be particularly upset should you turn me down, but the offer is on the table. My pups would like to meet new humans to bond with, but I am more attached to those I’m already familiar with.”

“I…” Gregor paused. “I would really like to. I don’t think Ares would want me to be without a bond forever. But on the other hand, what if my parents don’t let us come down here again? It’s not fair to any bond I make to never see me.” 

“Unless, perhaps, I would rather not see you,” Lapblood said, and Gregor realized after a moment that she was joking. She snickered and Gregor grinned.

“I’ll ask,” he assured her.

“Very well. Now, I’m famished. No more talk of bonding until after breakfast.”

Everyone acted as though they hadn’t been fed in days. Ripred and Lapblood went through half of the food by themselves. Flyfur and Sixclaw hung back until Gregor insisted that they get something to eat, and once they started they were unstoppable. Boots was trying to feed the roaches, who insisted they were not hungry, and Lizzie was digging into every type of food that was there.

When they were done, Lizzie stood up and walked a ways off, lying on the ground and crossing her legs together. Gregor assumed she was watching the bats fly near the ceiling, twisting and turning through the air. It was a fascinating and relaxing sight.

“Warrior, are you ready to have a go?” Ripred hissed at him after a few moments of silence. Gregor knew the rat only called him Warrior to annoy him.

“Would you attack me even if I weren’t?”

Ripred’s tail came from the side, and Gregor realized immediately the rat was right; his reflexes weren’t quite as quick anymore. He smacked the tail away and rolled backward a few feet but there were claws on his shirt front, and Gregor was milliseconds away from aiming a kick toward the rat’s belly when Ripred stopped dead in the middle of the beginning of a spin. His claws tightened painfully and Gregor felt them pierce his skin.

“Ouch!” Gregor squirmed but Ripred held tight, clearly not paying attention. “Get off me!”

“Where is Lizzie?” Ripred growled urgently, shaking Gregor. “I smell gnawers! Where is she!?” He let go of Gregor’s shirt. Gregor spun around, searching with his eyes for his sister. There was a small dot of color in the distance; Lizzie must have started walking away, and they had migrated backwards. 

Behind them, horns began to blow loudly from within the city.

“Gnawers!” yelled Hazard, repeating Ripred’s warning. Flyfur and Sixclaw stood up taller as well, looking toward Lapblood, clearly unsure of what to do. 

“We have to get back to Regalia,” Luxa said. “Flyfur, Sixclaw, Lapblood: I grant you permission to enter the city. But we have no time for the platform, it is too far-”

Out of the closest tunnel to their right, less than 50 yards away, rats began to pour onto the field outside the city. 

“That is not A FEW GNAWERS, Ripred!” Luxa yelled over the sudden noise. Hazard shrunk back and Ripred took off running as fast as he could, scrambling away from the group. Above them bats dove, rushing to pick up their group as well as others who were playing outside the city. 

Luxa loaded Hazard and Boots onto Aurora and Nike lowered herself so that Temp and Chant could climb onto her back, but Luxa stopped her. 

“Please carry one of the gnawers!” Luxa told her quickly and commandingly. “I am afraid that we will have a hard time finding fliers large enough and willing to carry them, and you can, Nike. Please.” Nike agreed and Luxa shooed the cockroaches away, directing them toward another bat who had landed a few feet away. 

“We can stay and fight!” Lapblood protested, but Luxa shook her head, motioning for one of them to mount Nike. Flyfur climbed on top of the bat after a moment’s hesitation and the bat strained to take off, managing but clearly uncomfortable.

Gregor noticed the city’s platform raising and pointed toward it. “The rest of us need to get on the platform. Run!” He pushed Luxa toward the platform but turned around and began to run across the path of the opposing rats, after the blur that was Ripred. “Where’s Ripred? Where’s Lizzie?”

“Gregor, no!” Luxa screamed from far away, and he felt claws in the back of his shirt. He struggled to get away but Lapblood had a good grip.

“Ripred will get her!” Lapblood told him, dragging him by the shirt toward the platform. “Run, Overlander! We have only moments before the platform will be too high for us to catch!” 

Gregor growled and ignored her, and suddenly there were claws very deeply imbedded in his clothing and he found himself unable to wrench away. He tried twisting away, but it was no use; she would not let go, and despite Gregor’s sudden anger at her, he knew that she was right. He couldn’t reach Lizzie or Ripred, and he couldn’t possibly fight all of those rats on his own. He did not turn and run away, but he stopped fighting her, and Lapblood pulled him backwards faster than he could run by himself, headed quickly toward the rising platform. Lapblood got on easily but Gregor had to jump, and they made the whole platform swing. Gregor felt tears come to his eyes as he watched the rats swarm into the field and arena with bats struggling to pick up the last of the humans outside the city. He couldn’t spot Ripred or Lizzie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it took me so long to update! Unfortunately, though I love writing, my schoolwork and health has to come first, and both of those have been up in the air lately. I hope that this chapter does not disappoint, since it's been so long since I updated.
> 
> I had a couple of people give me comments from previous chapters: I messed up when I assumed that Gregor wouldn't be able to recognize Temp, I was wrong, please disregard that! Also, in the notes of the last chapter my wording made it sound like Ripred was dead - he's obviously not dead! I meant that Ripred knew that Twitchtip was dead, and used her in the puzzle anyway. 
> 
> If you have constructive criticism or comments, please leave them to tell me how I'm doing! Reviews are truly what fanfiction writers live off of. 
> 
> Thank y'all for reading!


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